Fustrated: Finding a Model A PU Body

What does it take to find a Truck Cab for a 30-31 Model A? Want ads nadda, Everything is totally overpriced and seems like nothing further east than Kansas. Seems like everything is 3k.I can buy a Coupe for that a whole lot easier.....I figure there are more pickups than coupes built I been searching for over a year....I almost pulled the trigger on one at a show for 1800 but I'm thinking I should have now.....are people just holding on to every one out there? Sorry for the rant but It's driving me nuts.....Am I just cheap? I can find 32-34's for around 500 and up.....what's the deal? Help me find one!

 

Sorry to be Captain Obvious, but if they are all overpriced, then they really aren't overpriced, right?

 

I would take a 32-34 then.

 

Yeah, I'll take one of those $500 '34 cabs. Just let me know where to pick it up.

 

I was thinking of doing this myself. I don't know what Maryland is like but here in Kansas City you don't have to go to far out of town to get into the country. And, if you've ever been to a country dinner or grocery store you'd see they all have bulletin board. Take a Sunday cruise and put some adds up at some Country grocery stores. Old time farmers don't know much about using Craigslist but they know how to read a bulletin board and spread the word. I'm sure there's a few old truck cabs sitting behind barns in the country surrounding your town.

 

Over 600000 trucks,about 482000 trucks. And I'll bet the trucks got a lot more hard use. Just how much do you think a cab is worth??
And, llok at sites like this:www.paautoconnection.com

 

You know, I'm about the biggest cheapskate this side of the rocky mountains, but even I realize that building a hot rod is not a "cheap" pastime... If you think the initial investment is expensive, wait till you get to the "nickel and dime" phase of getting it ready for the road. Now that's a real case of sticker shock!

 

lol!!!

 

Get a 32-34! Look almost the same. Just add a visor.

 

Get in line, heheheheheh

 

a door of a 32 to 34 cab goes over 500 bones.

 

im sure theres one out there somewhere with your name on it.
ever considered a less popular brand? theres some great others that would look cool and do a similar job.

 

I've been looking for a Coupe body I could afford for years. I've passed up a few A trucks for around $1000 locally. Keep looking, they are out there. You just gotta be ready to pounce and ship.

 

Ain't that the truth. Sometimes they find you.

 

The Model A ('30 - '31) truck cab is by far a better looking cab than the '32 -'34s.
The cab does not necessarily have to be from a pickup - the large truck cabs were the same. Still lots to be found west of the Mississippi, and not for 3 large!

 

I couldn't even get a silly offer on the Model AA truck I had that had a pretty decent cab. Not perfect, it needed patch panels, or doors, but it was a late '31 with the filled top. For a while there $1500, $2000 would have taken it. Had it on eBay and on here. In fact that's the door of it in my avatar picture.

Finally I said fuck this, I took my best car frame, pulled the bed off another A that had been cut down to a pickup, a '40 rear and an A front axle with crude split bones and '40 brakes on it, and put the whole thing together and threw some paint on it - and sold it for $3500 last fall. It's in Sweden or Norway or someplace now. Cab held up fine to swap it to the other frame, although I put a bunch of braces in it figuring the ocean trip was going to shake the crap out of it.

So maybe that's why they're all $3000 -

 

Trolee & Ooltewahspeedshop

here are three I found in 30 seconds on the HAMB one 600 750 and one 800...if I wanted to spend more time i could find them....for 500-650

cant find a model A for this price

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=410745&highlight=rough+cab
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=441919&highlight=cab
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=442047&highlight=cab

Captian obvious......you think 3k is reasonable for a 31 pu cab with 6" rotted off.....??

And the model A is better looking as someone else stated.....I agree

Yeah i wanted to spend 1k-1500 max....

I guess the internet killed it all.......even reasonable people want to get rich selling everything....

 

Mate just be glad you don't live in Australia! A Model A P/U Cab will go easily for $3 - 4g here for an extremely rough one. A Coupe thats fairly rough here will be $7g.

I paid $1275 for a really mint '28 Roadster cowl. It came with a dash rail that was pretty mint, but missing windscreen posts / screen / frame. It also came with a mint door.

If i could buy a '34 Pickup cab for $800 like in the link that you gave, fuck me.. i'd be onto it like flys on shit. That cab would be 8gs over here.

Like others have said, quit ya winging and spend a bitta money for something decent and you'll have a good starting point for a sweet hot rod.

 

a 32 truck cab for 500?...I'll take 2

 

I paid $2,300 for my '30 Coupe Body and it's kinda rough..it sucks what you have to pay for the old stuff but like they always say if it's something you really want then money isnt going to be stop you

 

Model A cowls are all the same. I believe coupe and pickup doors are also the same. Why don't you start with the cowl and doors. The roof panels are available aftermarket.(open cab) Then you're just a rear panel away from a pickup. If you found a rear panel it would be a lot cheaper to ship then a whole cab. Also if you found a complete cab anytime you could steal the back panel and sell the cowl and doors.But what do I know I have one of them ugly 34's. Ha Ha

 

'32-'34's for $500? I want some of what he's smokin'. A model A anything out in Ca. is $2500 to $5000 easy for a nice one. And you passed on one for $1800? Maybe I don't want some of what he's smoking.

 

Wrong. At least with 28/29 Roadster / Tourer ect have different windscreen posts. The dash rail is also a different length to closed cars. Not sure if 30/31 is the same on the dash rail, but the windscreen posts are different to closed cars.

 

Alright I'll stop whining....lol

All the cabs for 500 did yall check my links on here?? there was one for 600 guy wanted to trade for a plasma cutter! And bumped it 2-3 times..Have at it! I don't make the ads they are fact.....500-600,750....plenty plenty under 1k.....all day long

all i'm saying is 30-31 A Cab is 1500-1800 min....any way you cut it......christ it's half a coupe! less than...lol

thanks for binging me down to earth!

Matt Thrasher I think I gott go your route.....johnny cash! one peice at a time!

 

I see them reasonable once in awhile. But like you said they all seem to be here in the midwest.

I personally would like to have a '33-4. I just like the look of them better. But I know where you are comming from. You just don't see many A pickups done right any more, and if that's what you are after then you just aren't going ot be content with the other.

Of course being intent isn't actually a good thing. If I was ever content I would stop building and just drive what I had.

 

Seems we're about 20 years off. You could probably get whole pickup trucks for $500 all day long. The market has gotten crazy in the last ten years. You just need to find a seller that is realistic, hard to do these days. I walked into my 50 Chey Coupe for trade on a paint job, and my 23 Willy's roadster tub with radiator, model A frame, and engine for $400. I couldn't pass those up. I need to stay cheap initially, or I wouldn't be getting roped into the fortune I need to spend to finish them. Gets me every time.

 

He said 30-31 nothing about 28-29. I know open and closed car are different. I own a 29 RPU cab. I guess 30-31 and closed car were implied.

 

They are all being bought and shipped over seas as our $ is very low.

 

excuse me if i'm wrong, but arn't you looking on the internet for truck cabs?

have you ever thought that someone may have driven across the country to find said part, paid $500.00 for said part, dug said part out of a field, loaded said part onto a trailer, carried said part back home, cleaned up said part, and did all of this so you can buy said part for $500.00? ARE YOU NUTS?

i know times are tuff, but don't bash people for selling a part for what THEY think it's worth. if it is too much for you, just say thanks and walk away.

long before the internet i would spend all weekend out looking for a small part i was needing. now, with the cost of gas, it is cheeper to pay someones internet price.

-danny

 

Danny,
I have thought about it and now said part is worth 1k-1500....not five times what's it's worth

Times are tough and the days of people thinking 500 dollar cars are worth 3k cause some idiot will pay it I hope are over.....just like the housing bubble